Curtains Down on 11th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: IDSFFK, the five-day short film and documentary gala, that offered visual narratives on diverse cultures from various countries with an array of 206 movies, came to an end on Tuesday.

Films from 33 countries, including Palestine, Sri Lanka, Iran and Pakistan, offered a spectacular experience to the audience. Through exceptional style of filmmaking and portrayal of engaging themes, the posse of short filmmakers was able to captivate the hearts of the crowd.

While ‘Persian Tales’ canvassed the socio-cultural life and its other realms of Iran, the films in the focus section, documentaries of Anand Patwardhan, and movies directed by Lata Mani, Raed Andoni, Indira Zen were well received for their intriguing themes.

Flicks like ‘Midnight Run’ written by B T Anilkumar and directed by Remya Raj, Insh’Allah Democracy which unveiled the life history of Parvez Mushareff , Body Ethereal by Ashad Shivaraman, Kuzhimanthi directed by Arold Antony Paulson, and Arikara Suthan’s Ullamkai Nellikani were among the films that garnered immense popularity and acceptance at the festival. Campus films like ‘Bridge’, ‘Hegemony’, ‘Ida’, ‘Nayatt’, ‘Pakalkinavu’, and ‘Orukkam’ were vocal on offbeat thoughts and perspectives.

The 11th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) also became a platform for expressing dissent on extremist- Hindutva forces that stood against the right to freedom of speech and expression. Throughout the festival, discussions and conversations held aloft the need to maintain secularism in every aspect of lives.

Filmmakers further announced their solidarity with writer S Hareesh, who got threatened by right-wing groups for publishing his novel titled ‘Meesha’. The presence of celebrated personalities like Anand Patwardhan, Kavitha Lankesh, and Rakesh Sharma added charm to the festival.